Australian university focuses on future food systems

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers will play a key part in developing smart logistics to link growers with their markets and high-tech methods of growing customised food, with the announcement of the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre.

The Future Food Systems CRC will involve more than 50
commercial and research partners, with the Federal Government injecting AUS$35
million in funding over 10 years along with almost AUS$150 million in support
from the research centre’s educational and commercial participants.

QUT’s involvement in the CRC is spread across the centre’s
three research and development programs of planning and logistics in linking
growers to their markets, developing smart automated indoor cropping and
creating nutrient-dense foods and hybrid food and medical goods tailored to
growing domestic and export markets.

Professor Doug Baker will lead the research program into
logistics and urban design that will identify planning policy, design and
infrastructure for integrating high-tech growing and processing facilities,
particularly around transport hubs and in regional centres.

“It’s about being smarter with agriculture and
infrastructure, and integrating technology and robotics into that,” Professor
Baker said.

“Working with local and state governments and our logistics
partners, our planning templates and freight modelling tools will assist food
hubs around Australia as they develop sustainable production and supply
solutions.”

Professor Baker said an example of a future food system was
greenhouses with automated vertical farming used to grow crops on or near
airports or port areas, so that the crops could be shipped straight to their
markers.

The CRC will look at food hubs around Australia including
the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, which will
have a surrounding cluster of intensive agribusinesses creating high-value
products for target markets in Asia.

Professor Sagadevan Mundree, Director of QUT’s Centre for
Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, and Dr Chris Lehnert, a robotics researcher
with the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision headquartered at QUT, will also
lead foundation projects with the CRC.

Professor Mundree said the researchers would be using smart
agricultural technologies to develop enhanced-proteins foods and develop
scientifically-based tools and methods to create unique Australian-made premium
food goods for domestic and export markets.

Professor Mundree will be working with a range of commercial
partners including partners such as Greenbio Group Pty Ltd which will partner
in projects in robotics and automation, optimisation and development of novel
hydroponic vertical systems, and new crop varieties for vertical systems.

Dr Lehnert will be working on developing robotics and smart
technology for vertical and indoor protected cropping.

“The future potential of robotics in indoor protected
cropping will be their ability to intelligently sense, think and act in order
to reduce production costs and maximise output value in terms of crop yield and
quality,” Dr Lehnert said.

“Robotics taking action, such as autonomous harvesting
within indoor protected cropping will be a game changer for growers who are
struggling to reduce their production costs.”

The CRC was initiated by NSW Farmers Association on behalf
of the national representative farm sector and as part of a broader
industry-wide push to increase value-adding capability, product differentiation
and responsiveness to consumer preferences.

CRC Chair and National Farmers’ Federation President Fiona
Simson said that sophisticated technology and stronger collaboration across the
supply chain was needed for Australia to become a leader in booming export
markets for trusted fresh foods and advanced precision nutrition goods.

“Our industry recognises the essential role of innovation as
we enter this critical growth phase. The strong backing for this CRC across all
sectors is a sign that Australian agrifood is ready to make a leap forward in
export readiness and capability,” Ms Simson said.

She said that the Cooperative Research Centre model was
ideal for addressing industry growth challenges that demand sustained
collaboration and complex transdisciplinary research.